Many downhole tools incorporate a gripping system that use one or more slips. The slips are moved radially outwardly against a surrounding tubular member to resist axial or torsional forces. In many instances, slips are set to securely anchor a downhole tool in place within a surrounding tubular member. Downhole tools that incorporate gripping systems that use slips include but are not limited to packers, anchors, plugs, locks and fishing tools. For example, bridge plugs have a plug body with slips to bitingly engage a surrounding tubular member.
After a downhole tool is set, it will often be removed to allow for further operation to proceed without being hindered by the presence of the downhole tool. Removal of the downhole tool is traditionally accomplished by complex retrieval operations involving milling or drilling the downhole tool for mechanical retrieval. In order to facilitate such operation, downhole tools have been composed of drillable materials, such as cast iron, brass or aluminum. These operations can be costly and time consuming, as they involve introducing a tool string into the wellbore and mechanically retrieving the downhole tool or pieces thereof from the wellbore to bring to the surface.
It would be advantageous to have a downhole tool that could be removed by dissolving a portion of the slips.